The U.S. Army’s TARDEC, or Tank and Research Development and Engineering Center, is funding a program in which three separate companies — Navitas Systems LLC, EaglePicher Technologies and Saft — will submit data designed to evaluate the use of 6T Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) battery technology in military and commercial vehicles. The program is being spearheaded by CALSTART, a member organization dedicated to supporting the clean transportation industry.

“Lithium-Ion battery technologies promise to hold out better in the field,” says CALSTART President and CEO John Boesel. “In its own testing thus far, the military has found that lithium batteries last longer, resulting in fewer battery replacements and less need for inventory. If these field tests prove successful, the commercial trucking industry may, in the future, make the switch to lithium starter batteries. Higher production volumes would result in lower prices, benefiting both the military and commercial sectors,” Boesel says.

According to Defense Update, the purpose of the program is to apply recent advances in Lithium-Ion introduce drop-in replacement for traditional lead-acid batteries currently used in commercial and military vehicles.

As the U.S. Army sees it, the Li-ion technology results in a longer lifecycle, depth of charge and faster recharges, which will result in greater fuel and cost savings, especially when it comes to military batteries.